Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Stock Price Down 0.1%

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) shares fell 0.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $170.03 and last traded at $170.24. 1,045,126 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 6,608,876 shares. The stock had previously closed at $170.41.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

PG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Argus upped their price objective on shares of Procter & Gamble from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Procter & Gamble from $181.00 to $179.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Procter & Gamble from $177.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Procter & Gamble from $157.00 to $164.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Procter & Gamble from $171.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Procter & Gamble has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.95.

Procter & Gamble Trading Down 0.6 %

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $167.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $163.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $399.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.41.

Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.40 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $20.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $20.69 billion. Procter & Gamble had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 33.46%. Procter & Gamble’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that The Procter & Gamble Company will post 6.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Procter & Gamble Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 19th were given a dividend of $1.0065 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 19th. This represents a $4.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. Procter & Gamble’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.85%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.22, for a total transaction of $76,149.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 13,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,212,043.84. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Susan Street Whaley sold 450 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.22, for a total value of $76,149.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,072 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,212,043.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ma. Fatima Francisco sold 96,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $16,320,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 13,721 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,332,570. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 223,259 shares of company stock valued at $37,948,393. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Procter & Gamble

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Procter & Gamble in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $17,696,000. Campbell Wealth Management increased its stake in Procter & Gamble by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Campbell Wealth Management now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 231 shares during the period. Herold Advisors Inc. raised its position in Procter & Gamble by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Herold Advisors Inc. now owns 26,592 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after buying an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Procter & Gamble by 29.0% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 43,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,010,000 after acquiring an additional 9,716 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in Procter & Gamble by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 115,039 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,858,000 after purchasing an additional 15,599 shares in the last quarter. 65.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Procter & Gamble

The Procter & Gamble Company provides branded consumer packaged goods worldwide. It operates through five segments: Beauty; Grooming; Health Care; Fabric & Home Care; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care. The Beauty segment offers conditioners, shampoos, styling aids, and treatments under the Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Pantene, and Rejoice brands; and antiperspirants and deodorants, personal cleansing, and skin care products under the Olay, Old Spice, Safeguard, Secret, and SK-II brands.